Kuroshitsuji: Afterlife
by Shinigami Merchant
Summary: Ciel awakens to find himself surrounded by darkness. The devils contract has been fulfilled but Ciel has not lost his soul. Where is Sebastian? and why is Ciel unable to remember the revenge he sold his soul for?
1. Darkness

**Disclaimer:** Kuroshitsuji belongs to the very talented Yana Toboso sensei.

Author Note: This is my first story so reviews are greatly appreciated.

**Synopsis**: Ciel awakens to find himself surrounded by darkness. The devils contract has been fulfilled but Ciel has not lost his soul. Where is Sebastian? and why is Ciel unable to remember the revenge he sold his soul for?

Kuroshitsuji: Afterlife

Prologue

Darkness.

Darkness was all that met his eyes when he finally managed to open them. It surrounded him on all sides, yet he was not afraid. He was used to the dark. It had been his constant companion since that day.

He was lying on his back, the stone floor beneath his small form cold to the touch.

Having nothing better to do he rolled onto his stomach and attempted to stand, his muscles strained with the effort and he only managed to raise his chest from the floor. His body felt unwieldy, almost as if it were not his own, and he was so tired.

Shapes began to form in the dark as his eyes adjusted, he could make out a wall not three feet from where he lay, but he did not have the energy to reach it.

His eyes closed as he tried to remember where he was, his thoughts were muggy as images danced before his mind's eye while he tried to focus.

He sorted through what he could remember as the memories flooded to the forefront of his mind; he saw the manor and surrounding grounds in their usual splendour, Lizzie running towards him with an excited grin on her face, Mey-rin, Finnie and Baldo up to their usual antics. None of these thoughts held the answers he was searching for.

"As the contract demands, I will be taking your soul"

A voice like the whisper of silk on a blade echoed through his mind erasing every other thought as it ripped through his mind.

This was the answer, that simple sentence uttered by the malevolently beautiful voice brought clarity in that single instance.

"Sebastian," the name mumbled barely above a whisper echoed in the darkness that surrounded him.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips. If the contract were complete then the demon was no longer bound by this name. He would not come when his former master called.

So this was his fate for making a pact with a demon. To be surrounded on all sides by darkness with only his thoughts for company...no memory of his vengeance. Sebastian knew him well; there could be no greater torment for the young master of Phantomhive. His dearest wish had always been to see those who had humiliated his family suffer, but that like everything else seemed to have been stripped away. He rested his face against the cold stone floor, feeling nothing.

Most people would have cried or broken down, tried to beg their way out of the cage they had willingly walked into, but not him, he was Ciel Phantomhive and his Pride would not allow it. In his short 13 years he had suffered enough humiliation to last a hundred lifetimes, if this were to be the price to correct the wrongs committed against his family, so be it.


	2. Abyss

Author note: Just want to say thankyou to minamihasaki620 and promocat for my first reviews they both helped to inspire me ^-^. Also thinking of giving Sebastian a demonic name, let me know if you agree with this idea? Oh and please review.

* * *

Abyss

The Demon gazed at the moon as it rose into the night sky, its light casting an eerie glow across the demonic realm. The cruel figure atop the barren cliff was satisfied to simply stare at the scenery below, a sight he had not seen in over a decade. The valley before him harboured a small forest of black trees alit with were light, in the distance dark obelisks blended with the sky as they rose towards the heavens.

All was quiet

The silence gave him the time to reflect and savour the taste of his most anticipated meal. Although time was of no consequence to him, there were times when mere moments under the service of his former master had seemed like an eternity (thanks in no small measure to three servants). The demon had served many Masters throughout the centuries of his life. In the beginning he would accept almost anyone, so long as he could continue to feed the beast that was his ravenous hunger, but this method had its flaws, no matter how many souls he consumed he could not slake his thirst, there was no challenge, not with such frail souls.

He turned his eyes skywards as he continued to contemplate, unlike the human world the night sky of the demon realm held no stars, it was a pure canvas of black which intermittently shifted amongst the darker shades of the void. A weak human would fall into insanity were they to stare at it for too long, however as a demon he found comfort in the abyss, it was after all his home. He was finally content, after centuries of unsatisfactory and tasteless souls, which left a foul after taste; he had sated his hunger with a soul of the highest quality.

In the short twenty seven years the young master had lived he had accumulated more knowledge and experience than the majority of humans could have had, had they been graced with a full century of life. However this was not the reason for the high calibre of the boys' soul, it was the fundamental purity of the soul which generated the taste he coveted. For all the strife, cruelty and suffering that the boy had endured his soul never wavered from his chosen path. It retained that which so many humans had sought to lay claim to but very few had truly possessed.

Nobility.

His tongue glided across his fangs as he remembered the moment he finally obtained his prize and he let a satisfied sigh escape as he reflected upon the memory.

He remembered the moment the chain binding him to his Master snapped.

He remembered the look of defiance his Master maintained in his eyes, no longer childlike or innocent but sharp, cunning and most of all victorious.

He remembered the smirk engraved on the man's lips even as his soul was carved from his chest.

Most of all he remembered the pure elation he felt as he began to devour the soul, incinerating the very essence of what had been his former Master.

It was amidst his feast, as the intoxicating energy calmed the starving beast within that a simple thought had occurred to him.

...How long?

How long until his hunger returned? How long until he found another soul of such worth? How long until he forgot the taste he so desperately desired?

How long before he lost his sanity to the hunger?

It was these thoughts that had given him pause.

The slightest nudge at his consciousness pulled the demon from his reverie.

"It would appear the boy is finally awake" a malevolent smirk tugged at his lips.

Standing gracefully he made his way towards the Shadows and vanished.

* * *

Light began to filter into the room from a window set high in the wall. The window gave a clear view of what looked like the night sky with the moon just on the rise.

Even the faint light of the moon stung his eyes after so much time spent in the dark. Although the light now streamed through the window the shadows which held the room refused to retreat, even if the light had managed to illuminate the features of the room it would bring Ciel no comfort.

He had resigned himself from the beginning to accept whatever punishment he would receive for listening to the poisonous words of the demon, the consequences meant nothing to him if he was able to obtain his revenge.

Glancing at the shadows he was reminded of how the Shinigami William T. Spears had described the nature of a demon.

_"He sways his prey...with sweet words, all the while dragging them into the darkness. So the quarry does not notice the face of the beast that lurks behind it...he proceeds cleverly...sweetly...quietly"_

Ciel had known these words to be true, all too often he had watched as Sebastian had masterfully drawn his prey towards him, using such simple words whispered so pleasantly to easily ensnare his victim.

He shivered at the thought as he continued to stare at the shadows, hardly noticing as they began to grow darker, as they began to contract and rise from the floor becoming solid as the shades snaked and merged. The only precursor to the demons sudden presence in the room was the appearance of raven feathers which gracefully drifted through the now fully formed portal.

Ciel only recognised the fact that he was no longer alone when he heard the all too familiar crack of the stiletto heels on stone floor.

Continuing to stare at the dark figure born from the darkness Ciel tried to perceive what emerged from the shadows. Black stiletto heeled boots gave way to black silk as his eyes rose. The efficient twin tailed coat that had once adorned the butler was replaced by pure black robes that flowed and fused with the shades that filled the room. Long raven hair framed his face and ran down to the small of his back, the colour much the same as his clothes was in stark contrast to his white skin. Obsidian nails matched the horns he now allowed to be seen, they followed his hairline flowing back along his skull that began to curve upwards into sharp points at the end. Even with the addition of horns and claws, Sebastian's eyes were still by far his most demonic feature. A colour which could only be described as blood red glowed in the night. With one look it was clear that from those eyes there was no escape.

Ciel's eyes became unfocused as he took in the true form of the demon once christened Sebastian. He couldn't breathe; the suffocating aura that now filled the room was an inescapable force, it crushed him as the scene before him changed into the image of his most reviled memory. Instead of bare stone walls he saw thick steel bars...his fingers clasped around his throat as he gasped for air. He didn't want to see this...the dagger held aloft by the faceless creature. Silent screams clawed at his throat...the floor that had been a stone gray was now awash with crimson, flowing from the bodies of his captors...the pain in Ciel's chest grew as his lungs cry for relief. Not again, anything but this...the demon who was both his saviour and executioner stood before his cage... His heart constricted painfully as he retreated into himself to try and escape the memory burned within his soul.

"Ciel" the demon advanced until he stood before the boy.

The young teen heard nothing, the sound of his own empty breathe and pounding heart drowned his senses.

"Ciel, look at me" a clawed hand grasped the boys chin and forced his face up so they were looking at each other directly in the eye. "You are no longer in 'that' cage" the voice, although taunting held such conviction that it allowed Ciel to focus.

As the memory that had haunted him since he was eleven years old faded, his heartbeat began to slow and his breathing became more even. Finally returning to full awareness he glared at Sebastian, he knew the name no longer bound the entity before him, but that was the only name he had known to call him. "Why are you here?" the question was asked in a low voice; however it was strong and commanded reply.

The smirk that had never slipped from Sebastian's lips widened.

Ciel's eyes narrowed with contempt. He struck at the arm that still held his chin, he knew how ineffective the action would be, but still he felt the need to rebel against the demonic aura that surrounded him.

Seeing the young teen's reaction only increased Sebastian's enjoyment of the situation.

Frustration evident in his voice Ciel demanded once more "answer me! Why are you here?"

"Why?"

Straightening to his full height, his smirk now an unrepressed grin the demon answered.

"To give you a choice"


End file.
